Magnetic confectionary display

ABSTRACT

A confectionary display, comprises an elongate pole member having an attachment side, a display side, and a plurality of tracks located in the display side that each are capable of holding a plurality of display elements, a plurality of display elements that each are adapted to hold a confectionary item, and at least first and second magnet assemblies interconnected with the attachment side. The first magnet assembly is located at a top portion of the attachment side, and the second magnet assembly is located at a bottom portion of the attachment side. The magnet assemblies are capable of holding the pole member, display elements, and confectionary items to a ferromagnetic surface, with the second magnet assembly having a pull force rating that is higher than a pull force rating of the first magnetic assembly. The display elements, in one aspect of the invention, comprise an engaging member that is sized to fit into the tracks and a tubular portion that is capable of holding a pop stick.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to displays for retail items, and more specifically to a magnetically secured display for confectionary items such as pops.

BACKGROUND

Confectionary items, such as candy bars, gum, pops, and other candies are commonly displayed at or around checkout lanes in various retailers, and/or in a specific area of a retailer. Such items are often impulse purchases that a customer will select while waiting to pay for items at, for example, a grocery store. Many confectionary items are well suited for display, such as candy bars, as such items stack nicely in a box on a display shelf, for example. However, certain items are not well suited for display in such a manner. For example, lollipops are commonly placed in a box on a shelf, with the pops arranged in the box in a haphazard fashion that is not aesthetically pleasing, and also may not adequately display certain features of the pops, such as assorted flavors or the form or designs on the pops. Furthermore, display space in retail areas is limited, and thus efficient use of display space is desirable.

There is therefore a need in the art for an efficient and aesthetically pleasing display for pops, among other confectionary and/or non-confectionary items.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein address the above stated needs by providing a confectionary display, comprising: an elongate pole member having an attachment side, and a display side; a plurality of display elements interconnected to the display side that each are adapted to hold an item to be displayed; and a magnet assembly interconnected to the attachment side. The magnet assembly is capable of holding the pole member, display elements, and items to a ferromagnetic surface, and wherein the magnet assembly has a pull force rating that is greater than 15 pounds per foot. In one embodiment, the magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, the first magnet assembly located at a top portion of the attachment side and the second magnet assembly located at a bottom portion of the attachment side. The second magnet assembly, in some embodiments, can have a pull force rating that is at least one-third greater than a pull force rating of said first magnet assembly. In another embodiment, the first magnet assembly comprises two magnet sub-assemblies, each of said magnet sub-assemblies having a pull force rating of at least 15 pounds and the second magnet assembly comprises three magnet sub-assemblies, each of said magnet sub-assemblies having a pull force rating of at least 15 pounds. In further embodiments, the combined pull force rating of magnet sub-assemblies is at least 100 pounds.

Still further embodiments disclosed herein address the above stated needs by providing a display apparatus, comprising a display pole comprising an attachment side and a display side; a plurality of display members interconnected to the display side; and a magnet assembly interconnected to the attachment side, the magnet assembly having a total pull force rating of at least 50 pounds. In some embodiments, the magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, the first magnet assembly located at an upper portion of the display pole and the second magnet assembly is located at a lower portion of the display pole. the second magnet assembly may have a pull force rating that is at least one-third greater than a pull force rating of the first magnet assembly. In other embodiments, the magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, the first magnet assembly located at an upper portion of the display pole and the second magnet assembly located at a lower portion of the display pole, and the first magnet assembly comprises two magnet sub-assemblies and the second magnet assembly comprises three or more magnet sub-assemblies. The pull force rating of each of the magnet sub-assemblies is at least 15 pounds in various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustration of a display of an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan illustration of a display of an embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is back elevation illustration of a display of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to the drawing figures, various exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail. Initially, it is noted that the term “pop” as used herein refers to a confectionary item commonly having a candy portion on a stick. While pops are referred to in the exemplary embodiments described herein, it will be understood that the concepts described herein are equally applicable to other types of confectionary items. Furthermore, it will also be understood that the concepts described herein also apply equally to displays for items other than confectionary items, and that the embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration and discussion only.

With reference now to the drawing figures, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is now described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a confectionary display 20 comprises an elongate pole member 24 having a plurality of display elements 28. In this embodiment, the display elements 28 include a tubular portion 32 and engages the pole member 24 and is sized to receive the stick portion of a pop. The tubular portion 32 is arranged at an angle to the pole member 24 to provide adequate clearance between the top of an inserted pop and the display element 24 located above the pop. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the tubular portion 32 has an angle A that is approximately 34 degrees. The tubular portion 32 in this embodiment has a diameter D of approximately 0.30 inches, with a hole 36 having diameter H of approximately 0.18 inches into which a pop may be inserted. The hole 36 of the tubular portion 32 has a depth L of approximately 0.65 inches. In this embodiment, the depth L is less than the total length T of the tubular portion 32. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the total length T is approximately 1.45 inches. As will be understood, the display elements 28 may be configured to display any of a number of different types of confectionary items other than pops, and the display elements 28 in such embodiments may include a shelf portion, clip portion, etc. that secure the confectionary item in the display 20 and allow for the confectionary item to be removed from the display relatively easily. Furthermore, the confectionary display 20 may include different types of display elements 28 in order to provide a display of differing types of confectionary items with the confectionary display, as well as to provide display other non-confectionary items that may be desired to be displayed in such a manner. While it is contemplated that the display of the embodiment of FIG. 1 provides a vertically oriented display, the concepts described herein also apply equally to displays having a horizontal orientation, as well as other orientations, so long at the display elements 28 are able to hold the items that are to be displayed.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display elements 28 engage with tracks 40 within the pole member 24. In this embodiment, the display elements 28 include an engaging member 44 that may be slid into a track 40. The pole member 24, in this embodiment, includes seven tracks 40, with fifteen (15) display elements 28 in each track 40. In one embodiment, the top and bottom display elements 28 in each track 40 are secured in the track 40 with an adhesive, thereby securing the 13 display elements 28 located between the top and bottom display elements in each track 40. In one embodiment, the pole member 24 is a single piece of extruded plastic. While vertical tracks 40 are illustrated that engage with the display elements 28, the display elements may be secured to the pole in any of a number of ways as will be readily understood by one of skill in the art. For example, the display elements 28 may have engaging members that slide into horizontal tracks, slide into holes of the pole member, and be secured adhesively to the pole member, to name but a few. Furthermore, the pole member and display elements may be fabricated as a single unit.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the pole member 24 is described in more detail. In this embodiment, the pole member 24 is a single piece of D-shaped plastic. The outer portion of the pole member 24 includes tracks 40, and the flat portion of the pole member 24 includes an upper magnet assembly 48 and a lower magnet assembly 52. The upper magnet assembly 48 is located near an upper end of the pole member 24, and the lower magnet assembly 52 is located near a lower end of the pole member 24, when the display 20 is attached to a metallic, ferromagnetic surface. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the upper magnet assembly 48 has two magnet sub-assemblies 56, and the lower magnet assembly 52 has three magnet sub-assemblies 56. The magnet sub-assemblies 56 are interconnected with the pole 24 using an adhesive, although any other suitable interconnection may be used, such as screws, snap or friction fit, and/or rivets, to name but a few. In this embodiment, each of the magnet sub-assemblies 56 are substantially identical, however it will be understood that more or fewer sub-assemblies may be utilized for the upper and lower magnet assemblies 48, 52, and/or that one or more of the sub-assemblies 56 may be comprised of magnets having differing pull force ratings. As will be understood, a pull force rating of a magnet refers to the amount of force required to pull the magnet from a ferromagnetic surface. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, each sub-assembly 56 has a pull force rating of approximately 22 pounds. Thus, in this embodiment, the combined pull force rating for the upper and lower magnet assemblies 48, 52 for this embodiment is approximately 110 pounds. While the upper and lower magnet assemblies 48, 52, are illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 3 as discrete assemblies having one or more sub-assemblies 56, other embodiments include magnet assemblies that are arranged in different manners, such as multiple magnet assemblies that are evenly spaced throughout the pole member. Furthermore, in other embodiments a single magnet assembly may be used that has a pull force rating sufficient to adequately secure the display to the desired surface. The pull force rating of the magnet assemblies is preferably greater than about 15 pounds per foot. Such a pull force rating provides a display that may be adequately secured to a ferromagnetic surface, and also may be removed from the surface without undue effort or special tools. In one embodiment, the lower magnet assembly 52 has significantly more pull force than the upper magnet assembly 48. This configuration focuses more magnetic energy at the lower portion of the display 20, and allows the display 20 to stand up higher than displays having other configurations of magnet assemblies.

In one embodiment, each sub-assembly 56 comprises ceramic magnets, although any appropriate magnetic material, or combinations of magnetic materials, may be used so long as a sufficient pull force is provided. Other magnetic materials that may be used include, for example, neodymium, Alnico, and Samarium Cobalt, to name but a few. The pull force that is generated by the magnet assemblies 48, 52, cause the display 20 to be securely affixed to a surface that is formed at least partially of a ferromagnetic material, such as iron, steel, and/or nickel, to name but a few. In this manner, the display 20 may be placed in an area without requiring an additional stand and without requiring floor space. The display 20 is particularly, suited for retail establishments that have candy displays at or near the checkout area, or in a particular aisle or other space dedicated to confections. In many cases the display 20 may be affixed to a pole or other shelving type unit at or near the desired area for displaying the confections. Furthermore, as young children often are interested in such confections, it is often desirable to have such a display that is relatively secure in that the display will be unlikely to come unsecured from the display area. For example, a young child may desire a pop that is being displayed in the display 20 when it is affixed to a ferromagnetic surface. The child may inadvertently pull on one of the display elements 28 rather than simply removing a pop from the associated display element 28. In such a manner, if magnet assemblies 48, 52, have relatively little pull force, the display 20 may be pulled from the surface to which it is affixed, frightening or injuring people that are nearby. Thus, in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3, the magnet assemblies 48, 52, are selected to require a substantial amount of pull force in order to pull the display 20 completely from the associated surface. As mentioned above, various embodiments have magnet assemblies having pull force ratings of greater than 15 pounds per foot, and in some embodiments a combined pull force rating for all of the magnet assemblies is greater than 100 pounds. In these embodiments, the more likely outcome resultant from someone pulling on the display is that the display 20 will simply slide along the surface, if the display moves at all. In the event that a user desires to remove the display 20 from the surface, the user must apply this significant amount of pull force to remove the display. Thus, by having magnet assemblies 48, 52 that require a significant amount of pull force to be removed from a surface, the safety of such a display may be enhanced relative to a display that requires substantially less pull force to remove from a surface, while the display is still able to be removed if so desired.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Furthermore, although the various embodiments are discussed as displaying confectionary items, other non-confectionary items may also be displayed in a similar manner. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 

1. A confectionary display, comprising: an elongate pole member having an attachment side, and a display side; a plurality of display elements interconnected to said display side that each are adapted to hold an item to be displayed; and a magnet assembly interconnected to said attachment side, wherein said magnet assembly is capable of holding said pole member, display elements, and items to a ferromagnetic surface, and wherein said magnet assembly has a pull force rating that is greater than 15 pounds per foot.
 2. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, said first magnet assembly located at a top portion of said attachment side and said second magnet assembly located at a bottom portion of said attachment side.
 3. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second magnet assembly has a pull force rating that is at least one-third greater than a pull force rating of said first magnet assembly.
 4. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display elements comprise an engaging member that is sized to fit into a track located on said display side and a tubular portion that is capable of holding a pop stick.
 5. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first magnet assembly comprises two magnet sub-assemblies, each of said magnet sub-assemblies having a pull force rating of at least 15 pounds.
 6. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said second magnet assembly comprises three magnet sub-assemblies, each of said magnet sub-assemblies having a pull force rating of at least 15 pounds.
 7. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said magnet sub-assemblies have pull force ratings that are about equal.
 8. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 6, wherein the combined pull force rating of said magnet sub-assemblies is at least 100 pounds.
 9. The confectionary display, as claimed in claim 1, wherein a height of said pole member is at least two times the cumulative height of said first and second magnet assemblies.
 10. A display apparatus, comprising: a display pole comprising an attachment side and a display side; a plurality of display members interconnected to said display side; and a magnet assembly interconnected to said attachment side of said display pole, said magnet assembly having a total pull force rating of at least 50 pounds.
 11. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein said magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, said first magnet assembly located at an upper portion of said display pole and said second magnet assembly is located at a lower portion of said display pole.
 12. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second magnet assembly has a pull force rating that is at least one-third greater than a pull force rating of said first magnet assembly.
 13. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein said display elements comprise a tubular portion that is capable of holding a pop stick.
 14. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein said magnet assembly comprises at least a first magnet assembly and a second magnet assembly, said first magnet assembly located at an upper portion of said display pole and said second magnet assembly located at a lower portion of said display pole, and wherein said first magnet assembly comprises two magnet sub-assemblies.
 15. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second magnet assembly comprises at least three magnet sub-assemblies.
 16. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of said magnet sub-assemblies have pull force ratings that are about equal.
 17. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pull force rating of each of said magnet sub-assemblies is at least 15 pounds.
 18. The display apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein a height of said pole member is at least two times the cumulative height of said magnet assembly. 